You're struggling to get your boss to notice your leadership skills. What can you do to get their attention?

In the past I have let my work and my colleagues do some of the talking for me. What I mean by that, is that if my boss is unable to see my worth (for whatever reason) I will look for people that interact with my boss often, help those people out and let them share their experiences. This approach expands your skills and shifts your mentality to solution oriented

Before you judge your boss for not recognizing your awesomeness, YOU should be sure to recognize that your boss has a lot on his/her plate. Have some grace for your boss and then consider how to best demonstrate your leadership skills. Alignment is a must, but this is a core part of the job. If you are not aligned with your boss, you may have larger problems. Regarding recognizing your leadership, this implies you are looking for more: more responsibility, more rewards, more something. Simply tell your boss what you are looking for and what you need to do to get it. Also, tell them you are working on strengthening your leadership skills and you would appreciate their feedback. Both of these comments will help prime their awareness.

Always start with yourself first: ask others to observe you and share feedback: is there anything YOU are doing that may make your skills less visible? Only after an honest analysis of yourself first, I suggest moving on to other layers of exploration.

Lean into your courage and step out of your comfort zone. ?? - Volunteer for high-profile tasks - Build a strong network inside and outside your organisation - Promote your abilities and achievements on social -media (nobody will do it for you!) - Blog about your ideas within your area of expertise

Never stop leading. Leadership is something you do. A leader is who you are, regardless if your boss notices or not. Create a vision, for yourself and your team. Motivate and inspire the people around you. Support people through their challenges. Never stop leading.

Be concise. Be clear. Connect with both logic and emotion. And, remember that communication is a 2-way street. Good leaders listen more than they speak.

As a leader, people are always watching you. Work with intent. Speak with care. Do great work. Live by your values. People are watching and choosing to follow you (or not) based on your actions.

I love this quote, “ If you don’t ask, the answer will always be NO”. We have a pathological aversion to asking. You have to ask for what you want … and if the leadership role is what you want, set up an appointment and tell them why you are the best person for this job. After all, a leader takes initiative, right? And acts in the face of fear, right? So do it.